Various means are known for paying for goods or services, the most fundamental method being payment in cash at the time and place of the purchase. Credit cards and debit cards are widely used for convenience in making purchases as the user need not carry cash and risk losing it or having it stolen. Credit card accounts also are used to extend credit to a user or cardholder, although card issuers are known to suffer substantial credit losses. One way for vendors of goods or services to avoid credit losses and reduce collection problems is to establish "pre-paid" accounts. A pre-paid account, as the name implies, requires that the user pay for selected goods or services in advance; subsequent delivery of the goods or services is charged against the pre-paid account by debiting the user's balance. The problem here is that adding value to or "recharging" pre-paid vendor accounts is not convenient.
Pre-paid wireless (cell phone) service provides an illustrative example. Pre-paid wireless service enables customers to utilize the convenience of cellular and digital communications by establishing a prepaid account with a wireless telecommunications vendor. Typically, prepaid wireless cards, each card corresponding to a wireless services account, are purchased in preset denominations in a limited number of locations. The cards are issued in fixed value increments, for example, $20, $50 or $100. Each card provides the end-user with a specified amount of wireless calling dollars or minutes. After the initial allocation is exhausted (or before), the user can "recharge" or reload their wireless account usually by calling an 800 number, having a credit card handy, and either talking with a customer service representative (CSR) or using an automated system to charge additional minutes to the credit card. This system is burdensome to both the user and the wireless carrier. Moreover, some users have pre-paid wireless accounts because of credit problems and thus may not have a valid credit card available for this purpose.
A new method for affecting payment for wireless telecommunications services, as well as other goods and services, is needed that enables a customer to purchase variable amounts of value for loading onto the customer's account. A new system should allow making such payments at convenient locations. And a new payment system should allow a user to affect bill payment or otherwise purchase goods and services, for example from a remote vendor, without the need to establish good credit in advance. It is also desirable that a payment system provide anonymity especially for dealing with remote vendors, yet physical separation of purchaser and vendor, the "card holder not present" scenario, is known to contribute to credit card fraud losses. The use of cash addresses some of these problems, but it is not practical for remote vendors.